During medical imaging examinations, for example examinations using a magnetic resonance apparatus, computed tomography apparatus, AX apparatus, etc., it may happen that body fluids, for example blood, and/or medical fluids, for example Ringer's solutions and/or contrast agents and/or cooling agents, etc., are discharged and can spread onto a table of a patient support apparatus. Such fluids can also spread from said table to the medical imaging device and penetrate for example into an AX C-arm, a gantry of the computed tomography apparatus, a recording region of the magnetic resonance apparatus, etc.
Medical imaging apparatuses are tested in respect of protection against water spray but are not designed to absorb for example several liters of fluid. Therefore such fluid egress can cause unwanted damage to the medical imaging apparatuses. Provision can also be made for some medical imaging apparatuses not to be permitted for such examinations and/or applications, so that the field of use of the medical imaging apparatus is restricted.
To prevent the spread of discharged fluid within the patient support apparatus and/or within the medical imaging apparatus, until now a fluid-repelling film has been used to protect the patient support apparatus and/or the medical imaging apparatus from discharged fluid. Inserts made of an absorbent material are also known, being used to configure a contact surface of the patient support apparatus. The discharged fluids can thus be bound. However if large quantities of fluid are discharged, it is difficult to prevent the spread and/or infiltration of the fluid into the medical imaging apparatus and/or into the patient support apparatus.